The present application claims priority to Taiwan application NO. 090112176 entitled xe2x80x9cAntenna for wireless communication apparatusxe2x80x9d filed on May 22, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communication technology. More particularly it relates to antennas for wireless communication and apparatus using the antennas for bridging mobile devices and wired networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless transmission of audio and video data over the air is gaining popularity among users of notebooks, portable digital assistances, and mobile phones. For mobile devices to have access to wired networks, such as local area networks (LAN) or the Internet, an access point or gateway is required that serves as a bridge between the wired networks and the wireless domain. It is also required that the access point and the mobile devices accessing wired networks through it follow the same wireless communication standard. So far, the most supported standard is IEEE802.11b.
The prior art access point that supports IEEE802.11b usually has two separate antennas pointing outward that can be manually adjusted by the user. This allows the communication quality of the antennas to be tuned according to various ambient conditions. Such configuration requires time-consuming procedures to have the separate antennas installed on the access point, and causes thereby inconveniences during the manufacturing process. The pointed antennas of the prior art also may at times obstruct other facilities around them, especially when the access point is placed in a crowded space. Therefore, an antenna pair structure that can overcome installation difficulties and can be concealed inside the housing of a wireless device is needed.
The object of the present invention is to provide an antenna pair that has the advantages of easy installation and improved gain. According to the present invention, the antenna pair consists of two slot antennas formed on a metallic strip and sharing a common portion of the strip as the grounding unit. The grounding portions of the antennas join together to become the grounding unit so as to increase the effective antenna aperture for both of the antennas and to raise their gains. As the antennas are combined into one, it is more manageable and handy for installation. In the embodiments to be disclosed below, the grounding unit is further extended to allow greater improvement. The strip on which the slot antennas are formed is curved to have the antennas orthogonal to each other. The orthogonality brings about the space diversity effect and prevents the occurrence of any null in the radiation pattern of the antennas.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna pair that can be concealed inside an electronic device. In the embodiment of the present invention, the mutually orthogonal slot antennas are disposed respectively on adjacent sides of a U-shaped or rectangular metallic strip that fit right into a wireless access point device by attaching each side of the strip onto the inner walls of its housing. The antennas are thereby hidden from the outside, which gives the device a more compact and appealing look without interfering with nearby facilities.